Submitted photo and press release:
Casey Felski is a determined young person. This senior from Pembroke High School attends the Electro-Mechanical Trades Program at the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center.
Last school year, she attended the Building Trades Program at the Batavia CTE Center. Rich Monroe is Casey’s Electro-Mechanical Trades instructor in the program. He describes her as a leader in the classroom and on the worksite.
“From Casey’s first day of school, I could see that hands-on learning is her forte," Monroe said. "I could tell that she would excel in whatever she attempted to do. My job as her instructor was to spark her interest."
Each year the Building Trades and Electro-Mechanical Trades Programs build a house on-site for a home owner. All the building materials costs, as well as the construction of the home’s foundation, are paid by the home owner but the labor to construct the home is free.
This house project provides students with real-world on the job experiences including leadership roles.
As a senior, Casey does just that, she works with the incoming juniors to orient them to working at the house site, leading group projects and running jobs as assigned by Monroe.
Besides being determined, Casey can also be described as hardworking and dedicated. She is an active volunteer firefighter with Corfu Rescue Hook and Ladder Company and she also serves as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). She runs track at Pembroke High School and works part time at a grocery store in Akron.
Casey’s actions and work ethic in and out of the classroom have proven successful. She recently was awarded a School-to-Work scholarship from the Electrical Association of Western New York (EAWNY).
Founded in 1924, this organization’s mission is to educate about the safe and efficient use of electricity and technology, and promote the electrical industry. Each year, the EAWNY awards School-to-Work Scholarships to individuals who pursue a career in the electric industry and participate in a training program to be used for the purchase of tools.
After graduation in June, Casey’s goal is to gain acceptance into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 41 Apprenticeship Program. Monroe said the he has no doubt that Casey will get accepted.
Photo, from left: Instructor Rich Monroe, senior Casey Felski, and Catherine Bennett, Batavia CTE Center assistant principal.
